St. Charles Lwanga & Companions, martyrs 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9*

 (……….) When Sara’s parents had left the room

And closed the door, Tobias got up from the bed and said to Sara, “Get up, my sister, and let us ask the Lord to have mercy on us and save us.” She got up and they began to pray, asking that they be given life. Tobias began like this, “May you be blessed, O Lord God of our fathers, and may your holy and glorious Name be blessed forever.

May the heavens and all creatures bless you.  You created Adam and you gave him Eve, his wife, as a helper and companion, so that from these two the human race might be born. You said: ‘It is not good that man should be alone, let us give him a companion who is like himself.’   Now, Lord, I takemy sister to myself in sincerity and love, not merely seeking pleasure. Have mercy on us and grant us a long life together.” Together they said, “Amen,” 9 and returned to bed for the night.

 

Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊    

Mark 12:28-34

 A teacher of the Law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up and asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

 Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord;   and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.   And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

 The teacher of the Law said to him, “Well spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other.   To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

Jesus approved this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

 

 Gospel Reflection：

 Not all religious leaders are hostile to Jesus. Some recognize the brilliance and clarity of Jesus' teachings. They even acknowledge it publicly. Take for example the teacher of the Law in this gospel. He probably comes to take part in the debate with Jesus. Or he just wants to check on this new teacher whom everybody has been talking about.

Whatever his motives are, he is drawn to the wisdom of Jesus' words. After publicly praising Jesus, he in turn was complemented by Jesus as well. He is not far from the kingdom of God because his heart seeks the truth over personal gain or vindictiveness.